Remembrance Day | A Montreal military nurse at the heart of the ceremony

A Montreal military nurse, member of a special unit responsible for rescuing wounded combatants near the front, was chosen to be at the heart of the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa this Monday.

Captain Kathleen Nguyen is used to being close to the action. Very close. An intensive care nurse, she is part of the mobile surgical resuscitation team of the Canadian Armed Forces. A small group of medical personnel responsible for advancing as far as reasonably possible into areas of operations to care for seriously injured people and provide them with necessary care, including emergency surgical interventions.

“We are not on the front line, but quite close,” she summarizes.

His team describes itself as “agnostic” when it comes to transportation. She takes the means necessary to reach her destination. “We must be able to fit the team into helicopters, trucks, tanks,” lists the captain.

The group was created primarily to support Canadian Special Forces missions in hostile terrain, but in reality, it participates in all kinds of missions. Kathleen Nguyen was deployed to Iraq during the war against the Islamic State armed group, she participated in the mission to assist in the evacuation of Canadian citizens caught in Lebanon when violence resumed in the Middle East in 2023 and was posted to the Dominican Republic to support soldiers securing the Canadian embassy in Port-au-Prince when gang violence in Haiti became too threatening there. She also participated in the aid mission in Quebec CHSLDs during the pandemic.

A dark day

This Monday, she will be one of 12 sentries selected for a special ceremonial role in Ottawa as part of Remembrance Day commemorations. The group includes eleven soldiers and a police officer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The sentinels, selected from a large pool of candidates from across the country, are chosen based on their deployment experience, their involvement in the community, their physical condition and the good quality of their driving record. This year Kathleen Nguyen will be the only member of the group based in Quebec.

“It’s an incredible honor to be chosen! », she exclaims.

Coming from a military family, she says she is aware of how Remembrance Day is a “dark” day, given the scale of the sacrifices that are commemorated. She herself, during her missions abroad, has not seen any of her patients die to date. “I’m lucky,” she says.

Its commander, Lieutenant Colonel David Tarso, was delighted to see the nurse selected for this distinction.

“Whether supporting operations as a member of high readiness teams or serving as acting detachment commander in Montreal, Captain Nguyen is not only a capable leader, but also a mentor. She sets an example to follow in terms of leadership and dedication,” he said.